Locking means for vehicle steering-wheels.



L H. STURGES. LOCKING MEANS FOR V'EHICLE STEERINGIWHEELS.

A'PPLICATION FILED AUG.29. I9I6.

1,226,720. Patented May 22,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. H. STURGES.

i LOCKING MEANS FOR VEHICLESTEER'ING WHEELS.

APPLICATION man A'ur..29.1916.`4

" 1,226,720. y Patented May 22,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

to be few and simple so that the device ARTHUR H. ST'URGES, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA. g

LOCKING- MEILG'S liGR WE1-[ISLE STEERING-WHEELS.

fpeeicati on of Letters ,Patent Patented May 22, 191'?.

Application tiled August 29, 1916. Serial No. 117,414.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ARTHUR H. S'rnnons, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State ol Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Locking Means for Vehicle Steering-llheels, of which the tolylowing is a specification.

, Ihis invention relates to locking means for vehicle steering wheels, and .particularly for the steering wheels of automobiles, and broadly includes the combination with the normallyI rotatable steering shaft and wheel hub and .the adjacent non-rotatable standard which provides the mounting .tor said shaft, of a movable part or keeper arranged, respectively, to engage or to be disengaged from the hub for preventing or permitting a rotatable movement ot' the wheel, the parts may be conveniently applied, and .may be economically produced.

The invention consists oiE the novel con struction, combination and arrangement olf parts as described herein and claimed, and as illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, wherein,

Figure l is a view in side elevation .show ing the device mounted upon the non-rotatable standard, the steering wheel and steering shait being broken away. i1 ig. 2 -illustrates the parts shown in Fig. 1 showing a side view,partly broken, ot' the steering shaft,i the] other parts being iny longitudinal section. Figl .is a View in transverse section on a reduced scale, on line 3 3 ot Fig. .4. Fig. t isa view ot the standard in longitudinal section to clearly shovI the key employed. Fig. 5i is a' view of the sleeve in longitudinal section to clearly show the slot for receiving the"` key ot' the standard. Fig. 6' is a side view of a lock.

In the drawing, which illustrates one embodiment ot' theiinvcntion, numeral l indicates a part of asteering wheel, its shaft and hub being indicated, respectively, at 8 and 9, these parts being normally movable for steering-while disposed in the non-rd tatable, tubular standard 10. 1

1n order that the rotatable movements mentioned for the steering wheel and its shaft may be under control, keeper or sleeve 11 is provided.; it is moiuitcd upon and is adapted to have slidable movements longitudinally ot the standard l0. fit l2, best shown in Fig. ."3, `is indicated a slot or elongated key seat withY which the sleeve l1 is provided, the standard 10 being provided. with a key 13 having recesses 1li and 15 formed therein, adjacent to each other.

The rotatable barrel 1G of a conventional lock 17 is provided with an outwardly prof jecting lug or detent 1S, the jacket 19 of the lock being mounted in the housing or collar 20 of the sleeve in a manner to prevent rotation. The lower end ofthe hub 9 is provided with teeth r21, and at 22 are indicated teeth with which the sleeve, at its upper end, is provided.

1t will be understood that since the lug, arm or detent 18 swings in an arc substantially at rightfangles to the axis of the standard anditshcy 13, it may be moved outwardly from either of recesses 1li or 15, or may be moved within either of said recesses, as imayI be desired, a limited degree only oit' rotation of the barrel 16 heing required ifor Athis purpose, the movement ot said barrel being under control of its conventional. member 23. Thesle'eve is nonrotatahle with reference to the standard since it is splined` thereon, but may move longitudinally thereof subject to the control ot the detent 18. i

lu operation, to cause locking of the sleeve with the hub, the sleeve may be manually moved upwardly until its teeth engage the teeth of the hub, the barrel 16 being rst rotated so that its lug 18 will move out of the recess 15. `While the teeth are thus in engagement, the operator causes the barrel 16 to rotate in an opposite direction to that last mentioned so that the lug or detent will be disposed in the recess 14 which obviously operates to maintain the teeth 22 and 21 in engagen'ient., 'l'he operator then withdraws n'ien'iber 23 from the barrel 16.

When an operator desires to use the ve hicle, he may, by use ot member 23, canse a rota table movement of the barrel 16 for moving the lug or dctcnt 18 out of the recess 14:. The sleeve 'thon may be moved manually longitudinatly ot the standard until its teeth are disengaged from thehul) 9. The operator then, by use ot member 23 causes a limited reverso rotation of the barrel 16 to causo the detent or lug 18 to enter recess 15 ot the key 11i. and it is obvious that the sleeve will be maintained in this lowered position with its teeth disengaged from the rrtli oi3 the hub, member 25S ot course being \\'itl nlra\\'n 'from the' barrel 16,

It will thus be seen that the construction providesimeans for maintaining the teeth 22 and 21 in engagement after the sleeve has been moved upwardly, means to permit a downward slid'able movement of the sleeve for disengaging its teeth from the teethv of the hub, and means to prevent a slidable movement or' the sleeve after its teeth have been disengaged from the teeth of the hub,

' 20 9 may be substituted for the sleeve if the same functions are performed, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself specifically tothe use of a sleeve. Also, while it is preferred that the sleeve and hub `25 be provided with teeth, said 'teeth may be dispensed with if the sleeve is in engagement with the hub when the detent 18 is disposed in the upper recess 15. also changes in form, size, proportion and minor details may so be made in construction as defined by the appended' claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacriicing any of its advantages.

YJliat l. claim and desire to secure by Let- :a ters Patent isfl. A locking means 'for the purpose described, comprising, in combination with the hub oi" a rotatable steering wheel, said hub l ing provided with teetlna non-rotatable dard provided with a key Aand disposed Y line with the hub, a sleeve mounted on the standard and provided with a key seat receiving the key the standard, said sleeve en 'itl teeth and adapted to vbe of the standard for '1 the teeth of the hub, adapted to be moved CIA its projections with lhub, and a detent sabstantiallyat right angles to the f ie sleeve to engage the key of the.-A ler maintaining the teeth of said assenso sleeve in engagement with the teeth of the hub.

2. A locking means for vvehicle steering wheels, comprising, incombination with the hub of the rotatablesteering wheel, said hub being provided with projections, a non-rotatable standard disposed in line with the axis of the hub and provided with. an elongated key with a recess, a sleeve on the standard provided with a slot for receivingthe key of 60 A said standard,' said sleeve being provided 7, with projections and adapted toibe'moved longitudinally of the standard for engaging. the projections of the, member adapted to be 465 moved into the recess of the key of the standard for maintaining the projectionsof the sleeve in engagement with the projections of the hub, l

3.' In combination withthe hub of a nor- 70 inally rotatable steering wheel, said hub being provided with projections, a non-rotatable standard disposed in line with the longitudinal axis of the hub and provided with a key having a recess and a second recess, a 7 sleeve on the standard provided with a slot for receiving the key or' the standard, said sleeve being provided with projections and adapted to be reciprocated longitudinally of the standard for alternate engagements and disengagements of its projections with the proj ectionsof the hub, a detent member carried by the sleeve and adapted to be moved into the second recess of said key member after said sleeve has performed one of its longitudinal movements for maintaining the projections of the sleeve in engagement with the projections or' the hub, and adapted to be moved into the first named recess of the key of said standard after the sleeve has'per- 90 formed a reverse longitudinal movement for maintaining the projections of the sleeve in disengaged relation with the projections of the hub.

rIn testimony whereof, l have aiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR H. STURGE S.

`Witnesses Ernani A. S'runens,

A. CLARK. 

